“How art Thou now my husband that art my Bride? What word must I remember? Nail me to the door of thine enemy, to the door of the marketplace, to the door of thy sepulcher, that, naked & unknowing, even I may be a sign of thy devotion to all thy lovers.”

MEDITATION COLOR: Red-orange.

HEBREW LETTER: Vav, nail or hook. Used to refer to the hooks by which the veil of the Holy Tabernacle was hung. Literally, the conjunction “and” in Hebrew, signifying connection or union. Third letter of YHVH, with correspondent meanings.

CARD NAME:Hierophant, Greek for “Revealer of the Mysteries,” or “one who shows holy things.” Older titles of this card included The Pope (which is just Pop or Papa, a virtually universal linguistic artifact in just about every language).

ESOTERIC MEANING: The Eternal (or Triumphant) Consciousness. It is the pleasure of that Glory beyond which is No-Glory like unto it. It is also called the Garden of Pleasure, which is prepared for the Compassionate (i.e., the Adepts).

TREE of LIFE: Chesed to Chokmah. (Links ‘Mercy’ and ‘Wisdom’; or Memory with Infinite Will; thus, the initiated Ruach opening itself to the Wisdom or Word descending from Neshamah. Instructional or ecclesiastical authority.)

ESOTERIC TITLE: The Magus of the Eternal

TANTRIC & ALCHEMICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The Stone: Sanctified Union of the Priest and Priestess.

"To advance—that means Work. Patient, exhausting, thankless, often bewildering Work. Dear sister, if you would but Work! Work blindly, foolishly, misguidedly, it doesn’t matter in the end: Work in itself has absolute virtue." -Magick Without Tears

Exoterically, I'm inclined to compare and contrast the Hierophant and the Emperor as father figures. The Emperor is the virile, authoritarian father ("do as I say"). The Hierophant is the kinder, deeper spiritual mentor.

The Hierophant is the HGA wearing the mask of the initiator. With a nail, he creates a link between the aspirant and the angel. The pentagram of human has to stretch to accommodate the hexagram of the divine.

From Chokmah to Chesed, it's the authentic link to the supernals that transmits the word of initiation.

The Hierophant represents the Southeast edge of the Cube of Space. The current flows from below (The Priestess) to above (The Magician). The Hierophant's edge represents the adjoining edge between the East and South faces (Venus - The Empress, and Sun - The Sun).

In The Emperor, the current flows downward into manifestation, being an agreement (if you will) of the manifesting energies of Mars and Venus (The Tower and The Empress).

The Hierophant also deals with Venus, but he sits on the Sun-side of the Cube. Here, the energies of Venus and the Sun are working together to reflect what has been learned from the process of manifestation back upward to the Magician (self-consciousness).

Speaking in terms of the flow of current around the edges of the Cube, the Hierophant receives the current from two sources below: Pisces - The Moon, and Cancer - The Chariot. The two currents are combined and then shaped by Venus in her creativity and the Sun in his enlightened joy in order to communicate information from the field of subconsciousness (below) back upward to self-consciousness (above).

- This (meditation-) color is very warm, I feel as if it penetrates me; it’s very easy to visualize.- There are 8 nails above his head! … suggesting penetration to the sphere of thought, intellect, linking it to that of intuition; it's the Higher that penetrates, that is active, but the lower has to be susceptible to it, or nothing happens (the Word falling on deaf ear); hence - the need for the training, Systems of Initiation.- Both the snake and the dove on his halo are “looking” downwards, as oriented to manifestation/ materialization; but the snake’s head is on Hierophant’s right side, and the dove on his left – they are complementary-opposite ways (methods) of manifesting the Word & initiating people, both equally true and both “right” – “Choose ya well” means simply: follow your own nature.--------------------- He is Service; a temporary holding of Office; he seems to be just a Form, a Channel, for an inexpressible contents… - I see him as one big candle now, his head with the cup being the flame… (potent metaphor!)- The child in Hierophant’s chest is dancing!... it’s his essence, RHK… this is the inner content of this Initiating-Officer’s form.

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- There is subtle refinement & tenderness in this card, and at the same time firmness.- “Let the woman be girt with a sword before me”: let female individuals develop their Ruach, in order for genders to equlibrate anew, in this Aeon of the Child. Ruach has to be fully developed in both sexes, so that collective transition to Neshamah can occur.

"Write, & find ecstasy in writing! Work, & be our bed in working! Thrill with the joy of life & death! Ah! thy death shall be lovely: whoso seeth it shall be glad. Thy death shall be the seal of the promise of our age long love. Come! lift up thine heart & rejoice! We are one; we are none."

Indigo background - the light of the supernals? No, the light of the supernal mother.

The white sphere with the white flower in it represents the flowering of the Yechidah from nothing. It inherently carries the love of the dove and the wisdom of the serpent. This idea is expressed by the nails connecting the serpent to the white sphere of light.

The elephant is the world elephant which stands on a tortoise, each supporting the world.

The bull is the energy of spring plateaued. It's reached a level of stability.

The image in the center is the inner teacher, dressed in orange, he is a mercurial figure, holding a three-ringed scepter, denoting his dominion.

The wisdom of a father, the wonder of a child, the spiritual husband of the woman standing in front of him.

She wears a headdress that are the scales of justice, sword in right hand, moon in the left.

Seeing these two figures interact allows me to intuitively grasp the rightful relationship of the ruach to the neshamah. It is the bridge that allows for the influence of the Neshamah to be passed through Ruach to the Nephesh.

Day Two

Connectedness, inclusion vs exclusion, compassion

Oddly, I found myself drifting off to space and falling asleep while working on this card tonight and got virtually nothing out of tonight's mediation.

Day Three

Silent guidance from a faint source, connected to the heart

She stands as if she's all alone in the world, all on her own. Vigilant & on guard. But silently and inwardly, she yearns for her lover-brother-father.

Behind her, he sits, watching her like a father keeping an eye over his child, finding delight in what he sees. He sees his youth in his child, he sees himself in his child.

To her, he gives her the Kerubim, to which she can do what she pleases when she's ready. "...there are love and love. There is the dove, and there is the snake. Choose ye wisely..." he whispers.

"To advance—that means Work. Patient, exhausting, thankless, often bewildering Work. Dear sister, if you would but Work! Work blindly, foolishly, misguidedly, it doesn’t matter in the end: Work in itself has absolute virtue." -Magick Without Tears

danica wrote:- There are 8 nails above his head! … suggesting penetration to the sphere of thought, intellect, linking it to that of intuition; it's the Higher that penetrates, that is active, but the lower has to be susceptible to it, or nothing happens (the Word falling on deaf ear); hence - the need for the training, Systems of Initiation.

Not to denigrate your thoughts or understanding of the card in the least, but Crowley writes in the Book of Thoth that there are nine nails, and this number is representative of the fact that the Moon is Exalted in the sign of Taurus. This doesn't invalidate your experience I just thought you might like clarification about the Atu.

Some notes from my meditations today:

Tarot Meditation: 1.21.14 8:09-8:29 A.M.

"Perseverance brings sublime success." [From the I Ching. First thing that came to mind.] The Hierophant wears a look of bliss: the serene rapture of the Bull. The Bull is strong, determined--Taurus is the House of Venus, and the Moon is exalted therein. Love and austerity combine to form the basis of Initiation. A secret smile; bearer of Mystery. The triple wand: revolution of the Aeons. Also the triune God IAO. Taurus: only through labor, work, and industry is Initiation to be accomplished. "Let the woman be girt with a sword..." The Hierophant understands the modes of operation of the Elements. Chokmah to Chesed: the Will of Heaven transmitted to the Manifest King--the Hierophant intercedes for the King and makes known to man the Will of the Gods.

Tarot Meditation: 1.21.14 9:31-9:48 P.M.

The Hierophant forms the compliment to the High Priestess (the card might as well be called the High Priest; the paths run parallel.) Nail: a tool by which something is fixed. The nail pierces; runs through. There is a woman at the bottom of the card: the Scarlet Woman, Babalon. She holds a sword: in the present Aeon no longer is woman a mere plaything for man: the Feminine element will balance itself to the Masculine over the course of this Aeon. This may, paradoxically, occur through militant means (obviously there will be more bloodshed as the course of history advances, as the Mascluline, Paternal current of the Dying God expends itself in a fury of bloodshed [I see a correlation to the preceding card, Aries.]--at any rate, these are mere speculations.)

The four Kerubs: the High Priest sits enthroned upon a Bull. There is a definite Phallic influence, i.e. the Legends of Apis--but yet Venus and Luna rule/are exalted in the sign of Taurus. The Hierophant represents material authority in a Paternal sense, yet this Paternal energy is balanced by the pure love of Venus and the austere devotion of Luna. Crowley notes, "There is a distinctly sadistic aspect to this card..."

Crowley notes himself that it has to be seen how the Aeon progresses in order to comprehend the significance of the symbols he incorportated in this card. Here's the quote:

"It is impossible at the present time to explain this card thoroughly, for only the course of events can show how the new current of initiation will work out."

So I can't help but speculate...

My mind is a mess at the moment with preoccupations, so I'll leave it at that ; see below.

As of tomorrow I will be attending a Vipassana Meditation course for 11 days. The nature of the course is such that one is not permitted writing materials, books, etc.; nor is one to engage in practices other than those pertinent to the course. So I'll be unable to participate in the project for a while, but I will pick up where I left off and catch up as need be when the ordeal is over.

The course will entail 10+ hours of meditation a day, and one is to maintain noble silence throughout, so it should be challenging but worthwhile. I can't wait to devote my finely honed meditation skills to the Tarot when the course is over; I should have no problem catching up. At any rate, wish me luck and see you in 11 days.

I have been enjoying your responses and I look forward to approaching the project with greater discipline upon my return.

danica wrote:- There are 8 nails above his head! … suggesting penetration to the sphere of thought, intellect, linking it to that of intuition; it's the Higher that penetrates, that is active, but the lower has to be susceptible to it, or nothing happens (the Word falling on deaf ear); hence - the need for the training, Systems of Initiation.

Not to denigrate your thoughts or understanding of the card in the least, but Crowley writes in the Book of Thoth that there are nine nails, and this number is representative of the fact that the Moon is Exalted in the sign of Taurus. This doesn't invalidate your experience I just thought you might like clarification about the Atu.

Yes, indeed! Thank you. I deliberately restrained from reading anything about Tarot during this meditation (besides the Liber Theta instructions), and I use small cards (the Deck for divination) so my perception merged the upper-most nail with the top of Hierophant's cap

"Write, & find ecstasy in writing! Work, & be our bed in working! Thrill with the joy of life & death! Ah! thy death shall be lovely: whoso seeth it shall be glad. Thy death shall be the seal of the promise of our age long love. Come! lift up thine heart & rejoice! We are one; we are none."

Thank you for what you've provided so far. Especially this particular insight:

Taurus: only through labor, work, and industry is Initiation to be accomplished.

"To advance—that means Work. Patient, exhausting, thankless, often bewildering Work. Dear sister, if you would but Work! Work blindly, foolishly, misguidedly, it doesn’t matter in the end: Work in itself has absolute virtue." -Magick Without Tears

The Hierophant strikes me as a very earthy card. He is a bearded man, old and wise. He does not appear as a father, but as a wise man. He wields divine power (trinity) in his right hand and is connected to the lower realms with his left, giving. Light shines from behind his head. The card seems to displaying the union of the microcosm and macrocosm. The man in the pentagram is the microcosm, but also man's lower nature, in this card guided by the greater influence. The same micro/maco pattern seems reflected in the Hierophant and the woman (Heh-Final? Malkuth? Earth?). The Hierophant is earthy, in the sense of being composed of lower matter, but he is still very much in control. The four cherubs bring the powers of the sphinx to mind.

Day 2

Is the bull a sacrifice? At least it is in service to Hierophant (as his throne). This show that he controls and dominates his lower self (and the lower world). Indeed, he is it's refined manifestation (note how his robes sort of grow from the ground and are the same shade of color, only brighter, more golden). His phallic hat denotes that his energy and power is a higher power, mental and/or spiritual This act of meditation in which I am IS the Hierophant, ie. the revealer of mysteries. So, this meditation brings about the union of the microcosm with the macrocosm. Nails (vav) are about binding and penetration. Now the four animals remind me of the archangels from LBRP, albeit on a lower manifestation

Day 3

In the card we see Earth in its strongest manifestation! It is not a shy element. It is not ashamed! Is is an experiential element! Nails are earthy in themselves, metal, binding this world to the upper. The Hierophant is what binds the micro to the macro, thus he is the nail. The woman, armed, is justice. One must come before the Hierophant, ready, equipped and armed. Your house must be in order. The truth will be nailed only on the strong walls of your house, lest they be shattered.

Colors are immediately grounding, composition of the card imagery balanced and harmonious, highly symmetricalBackground – darkness of the unconscious; also black is color of Malkuth – from which 4 elements emerge (represented by 4 Kerubim)

Pentagrams (upward and downward facing) inside of Hierophant - perhaps indicating he has mastered the elements and has command over the elemental principles

Circle – unity; three circles on his scepter – reminds me of unity of 3 alchemical principles acting together in balance

Hierophant’s beard – typical symbol of an old wise man

In Hierophant’s chest – 5-pointed star with a babe – in relation to the presence of Isis (Mother) and the babe, Hierophant would then indicate a father figure, characterizing him as a protector type, loving/caring guideThe child is in the pentagram; and Hierophant is in a sort of an unfinished hexagram – brings to mind “as within, so without” axiom

Child inside the star – in the heart/solar plexus – first I thought it could be indication of HGA guidance, but the fact he is in 5-pointed star as opposed to 6-pointed, indicates the human nature of the babe. From psychological perspective this could mean his inner child has been reconciled – which represents the basic foundation necessary for growth and evolution in every person.

Isis staff – resembles a nail (again - Vav); as if the light shines from it upward toward the Hierophant; she could be representative of his wisdom and intuition - qualities which guide his way like lantern in the night; psychologically she could also be interpreted as his Anima reconciled and turned into an ally - from Jungian perspective reconciliation of one's Anima/Animus automatically leads to a complete spiritual expansion.

The spokes (phallic, masculine) around the flower (yoni, feminine) are likely the nails (Vav) – 9 of them which is 3X3 - in the card I see 3 in the context of trinity of Father, Mather, Babe. Perhaps some connection to that. Nails come from the direction of Spirit element (upper tip of pentagram)

Recurrence of number 5 (quality of strength) - 5 flower petals behind his head, several 5-pointed stars; his left hand possibly making a gesture of Roman numeral 5 (it could also be a letter V for Vav); also 5 elements represented by the pentagram

Flower with snake and bird behind his head – might also be metaphor for his "nature", hence staying true to his nature (his true Will) in the process of spiritual work; accomplishing the realization within the scope of refinement of his "natural" tendencies

4 Kerubims look more like masks than actual entities – symbolically speaking Hierophant may put on the mask and temporarily take over the office of either Kerubim when needing to command the appropriate element (again the idea of being the master of the elements)

Elephants symbolism – "willful" animals – upon arising the intention in the mind they move their body to the intended goal - try stopping a moving elephant weighing up to 7 tons! - to me indicate mind and body working together powerfully for the common goal; also Indian God Ganesha - remover of obstacles